Greenough Blog

In the summer of 2012, Greenough conducted our second “Prevailing Storylines Study,” poring over ten of the most widely read publications, including Forbes, Fortune, New York Times, Time, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, and pulling the ten most common narratives, or storylines, from each publication. We found that almost every story or event can fit into one of these storyline archetypes like “David and Goliath” or “Best Kept Secret.” However, some newsworthy events are so big that journalists will play out multiple storylines.

An example of this is the Aaron Hernandez case, in which he is accused of murdering Odin Lloyd. It has captivated the Boston market and the national media, and it has spawned weeks of coverage that shows no sign of slowing. Below is our analysis of the six prevailing storylines that can be identified within the Aaron Hernandez story.

Fall from Grace

Let’s start with the most obvious. A rising NFL star with a troubled past seems to have turned his life around – only to become the prime suspect in a murder case. He seemingly had everything going for him, so how could this happen? The media has fixated on this question since the story first broke. From local media like New England Cable News to national outlets such as ABC News, versions of this story range from purely factual reports of the arrest and the evidence to more theoretical articles that explore what may have led to this drastic outcome.

This is perhaps the most prevalent storyline in the Aaron Hernandez case. Google "Aaron Hernandez, cautionary tale," and you'll get pages and pages of results with this in the headline: "Aaron Hernandez's Cautionary Tale", "Aaron Hernandez Case Serves as Cautionary Tale." The story theme is everywhere and the message is clear for professional athletes, rookies, hopefuls and young men and women alike. Hernandez's career is likely over, his life is likely over, yet violence in sports continues -- cautionary tales of sports figures who “had it all” are everywhere.

New Kid on the Block

If he remains on the roster, Tim Tebow will not only be the Patriots' new kid on the block, he will be their ray of sunshine --the good to Hernandez's bad, the peacemaker to Hernandez's violent nature. Tebow automatically comes with the title of new kid, but in an offseason riddled with players making bad decisions (first Hernandez and now Alfonzo Dennard's DUI), Tebow has the power to not only be the new kid on the block, but also the good kid on the block.